Co-happy-tation
by spacegypsy1
Summary: Daniel and Vala end up having to cohabitate for a few days in a comfortable room that apparently has no doors or windows and not even Vala can escape from.


Title: Co-happy-tation

Challenge: Daniel and Vala Month of Love Day 14

Author: Spacegypsy1

Pairing: Daniel and Vala

Timeline: After AoT

Word Count: 7000ish

Daniel and Vala end up having to cohabitate for a few days in a comfortable room that apparently has no doors or windows and not even Vala can escape from.

~0i0~

In the first seconds stepping out onto the planet Daniel spotted someone dressed in a white robe facing away from the Gate.

As if on cue the figure spun around. Face half covered with a mask, he began to wail, running as if for his life, babbling incoherently, though quite loudly.

"Wait," Daniel yelled, "Wait! We're… we're…"

"Peaceful explorers." Vala finished and got a squinty eye glare. "Well, we are!" She added in protest. "I thought our little preview rolling friend Mal sent back 'no people found'."

"MALP. And it did, in the range of it's capabilities." Daniel checked his handgun. "It's never easy. Best get that peace keeping 'zat of yours out, just in case. We don't want to shoot …."

Suddenly the area filled with what looked like a few hundred people, all wearing white robes, their noses and mouths covered with masks - the remainder of their faces painted white. Even their hands and the feet peeking out from the robes were caked with white mud.

There was a rumble of some kind of speech, almost like a chant from the crowd.

Vala, smiling friendly-like, raised her hands in surrender.

Daniel cautiously thumbed his radio. "We have a situation here."

"Already?" Cam's voice came over the radio, incredulous. "Can't leave you two alone for nothing!"

"Yeah…. Oh, wait. Ugh." Daniel, radio in hand, grabbed his head when the pain began. He glanced at Vala who obviously was experiencing the same.

Then they both dropped like a stone, semi-conscious, as the radio tumbled out of Daniel's hand.

"Jackson? Vala? Do you read? Son of a bitch!"

A hand blurred before his eyes and picked up the radio as Daniel fought to remain conscious. Just as his eyelids were losing the fight Daniel watched as someone jabbed a needle into Vala's arm.

~0i0~

"Holy buckets! What the hell happened?" Daniel stared at the albescent ceiling. Head turning slowly as the remainder of the blinding headache waned, he tried to focus.

There were no windows and apparently no doors. He wasn't really sure since his glasses seemed to have disappeared.

Obviously he was on a bed with Vala beside him.

Abruptly, she bolted to a sitting position. "What the hell happened? Is this the morgue? Where are we, Daniel?"

"I have no idea."

"It's amazingly bright in this big white box. Where's the light coming from?

"I have no idea."

Crawling over him off the bed, Vala began to look around, first up, then around and down and up again seeking the exit.

"Well, this is odd. No door. No windows. White bed, table, two chairs. I'm dressed in white pajamas that are similar to but different from the ones in vintage pajama ads. That must have been a treat for someone - taking off my clothes - I mean. And yours. Now _that_ would be a treat." She looked back to find Daniel still staring at the ceiling. "There's air. But I have a funny taste in the back of my throat, like antiseptic, or medicinal. Like in the infirmary. Where do you think the air is coming from?"

"I have no idea." Cautiously, Daniel sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes. "Do you know where my glasses are?"

"I have no idea." She continued to walk around. In one of the corners, Vala spotted a long white panel with what could be a small opening on one side separating the space from the wall. Peeping into the area, she commented, "Hmm. Little sink, small squatty potty, a stool, and a low shower head, retractable thingie. All white. White, white, white. But nice and sparkly white."

Daniel came to stand beside her. "Ah. A privacy panel."

"White."

"Yeah, head and feet is all that shows." He turned towards the wall directly across. "So that," he pointed, "must be the front of the room."

Vala glanced the way he pointed, and then turning back she pointed to the stool. "And that must fit over the squatty potty for showering."

"Right." His head pivoted back slowly.

A slight swishing sound brought their attention towards the front wall. An opening appeared with two white containers tucked into the space.

Realizing the light inside was growing fainter Daniel rushed across the room and grabbed the pair of boxes before the opening shut, leaving no seams.

Vala peeked into one of the containers in Daniel's hand. "Ah, some of my things, tooth brush and toothpaste, and other personal items from my bag, oooh my shampoo, yay. No razor. No brush. But a new, not mine, white comb-like thingie, I think."

Daniel dropped his befuddled gaze from the wall and checked the container in his hand. "Hmm, me too." His attention returned to the spot where the opening had appeared. "Strange, a two foot opening that completely seals. I don't think beating on the wall or yelling is going to help us."

Vala had wandered away, busying herself examining the contents of the room. "One bed, darling." Vala sat, bouncing on the bed to test it, "You really need to stop doing that squinty thing, Daniel, you look absolutely ridiculous." Leaning down, Vala sniffed the sheets. "Clean and soft. No pillows. There are no pillows, Daniel!"

"I have to squint since I have no glasses."

"Right!" She rose from the bed and re-examined everything in the room. The table and chairs were made out of the same material as the walls, ceiling and floors and seemed to have been molded from the floor. "So what's the plan?"

"We wait."

"Clever, Daniel. Rescue. Alright." Patting her hair she searched for some hairpin or clippie. "They took my hair clippies, dirty buggers!"

As one, Daniel and Vala spun around when a completely different area of the wall gave off the swishing sound and opened.

"Pillows! And Towels." Vala snatched them out while trying to peer into the opening. "Hmph. They must have listening devices. Somewhere."

"Or, they're mind readers."

"What? Oh. Ah. Well, that's not good." She shook her head as if to clear it. "That one was almost x-rated. Sorry! I was thinking about you in a towel."

Daniel cocked his head and stared at her. "You've seen me in a towel."

"Yes. Yes I have, and a lovely sight it was. And I've been inside your body, so to speak, or speaking through it, but I couldn't see it. You know, IT."

"You _looked_!"

"I tried, but all I saw was my Ori impregnated belly. I'm hungry." She whipped her head around to see if anything opened up. Then Vala shrugged when no food appeared. "Ah. Not mind readers or listeners, I see."

"You never cease to amaze me." Daniel said, his voice just above a whisper.

"Is that good or bad?" She looked up at him, smiling.

"Both."

~0i0~

"I'm really getting bored staring at walls, waiting! For hours. And possibly hours and hours. I'm so bored!"

Daniel, sitting at the table, glanced at her. "Nothing new."

When he turned away Vala stuck out her tongue.

It didn't seem to matter where they stood, because the wall always opened wherever they weren't standing. When lunch arrived they were at opposite ends of the room, and the side wall opened in its constant twenty-four inches wide, by twenty-four inches deep, twenty-four inches high.

"Oh goodie! Lunch!" Vala rubbed her hands in glee.

~0i0~

They'd spent hours walking the space from corner to corner, finding nothing.

Picking up the pear-like fruit she'd set aside earlier from her otherwise empty dinner tray, Vala eyed Daniel.

"Darling, are you saving that one bean for your nighttime snack?"

"Counting. Day one." He mumbled absently.

"Ah, good one."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's play Charades."

His gaze rose to her, and he squinted. "Let's not."

"Pooh. And don't tell me that squint was induced by poor eyesight. You're going to the dark side, darling. No need to be all cut up about it. You'll make it difficult to be in peaceful co-happy-tation."

"Cohabitation."

"Yes, I know that one but I made up one of my own."

"Oh," He said, distracted. "Hey, is it getting dimmer in here or am I going blind?"

"Getting darker. Mom and Dad must be telling us it's close to bedtime. Should we sleep naked so we can keep our..."

"No!"

Vala laughed, leaving the table and going to sit on the bed. "I have a feeling it's going to get very, very, dark in here."

"I think you're right."

"Come to bed, Daniel. I promise not to attack you."

"In a while."

"You're just impossible to live with!"

"Go to sleep!" He shot back with a heavy dose of annoyance in his voice.

~0i0~

Three days passed and without a peep out of their captors, and no rescue had occurred. Meals were delivered via a different opening each time, but still neither of them could figure out how. It took a full day and a half of dirty dishes to realize the empty openings that appeared most likely were for dirty clothes and dishes.

Daniel was in the worst of moods which he intermittently explained was due to lack of coffee. No way would he confess he was getting very little sleep with Vala curled around him every night.

She on the other hand slept soundly.

~0i0~

"Good morning!" Vala sing-songed standing over him.

Tired eyes popped open and as he sat up he grumbled a reply.

"Which of your languages did you just curse at me with? Hmm? You're grumpy aren't you? I don't understand. It's not so bad here, no one has come to torture us, the temperature is perfect, the mattress is amazingly comfortable and there are clean sheets and towels every day, and clean jammie clothes that are soft... and white. The food, also white, is actually good, too! So what's the issue? Other than we can't get out of here."

"It's like the god-damned _Hotel California!" _He stood abruptly.

"I've never been there. What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing!"

"Quit yelling and remember what we decided. One will grab and one will check out the opening more carefully. So hurry up! It's almost breakfast time."

"How do you know that?"

"My internal clock is ticking for food."

"Oh, that makes sense. I'm sorry I'm in such a foul mood. I don't know why they won't even communicate." He sighed. "Okay. Let's stand in the middle and keep our eyes peeled."

"That little ditty always makes me cringe, it's positively creepy. Peeling eyes."

Daniel laughed just as the sound indicated breakfast was arriving. They both darted for the spot. Daniel grabbed the containers as Vala closely studied the interior until it completely sealed shut.

"No luck, maybe next time. I'm famished, what's for breakfast?"

Rolling his eyes, Daniel set the trays on the table.

~0i0~

Vala tried all day to interest Daniel in some activity or game.

"I'll teach you yoga."

"I have to think."

"Yoga helps you think, darling."

"I'm not in the mood for your chatty attempts to 'help' me."

"Fine!"

~0i0~

Vala, who'd always had a good sense of timing, felt enough time had passed that she could try again. With a little happy sigh, she sat at the table, and with chin resting atop her hand she did just that. "What about 'Guess what I'm thinking'? You like that, don't you?"

"Too easy, I always know what you're thinking. Something with sexual innuendo, like a broken record."

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Daniel. I haven't done that in years... much."

"Sorry." Was all he said.

~0i0~

At the now familiar sound Daniel looked up as the wall closest to him opened. He stood abruptly, but Vala got to it before he could make a move.

"What is it?" He asked unable to see into the opening because Vala blocked his view.

"My Giraffe! Oh, and your journal and a pencil! Thankfully, maybe you'll be nicer!" Snatching the giraffe she hugged it first and then kissed it.

Daniel reached past her to retrieve the journal and pencil. He snapped out, "What's with the stupid giraffe, anyway?"

By the look on her face there was no denying he'd hurt her feelings.

She took a step back, and raised her voice in anger. "It's something that is mine and it never yells or gives me a mean, squinty eyed look. Something to hold onto. Something that doesn't need any special treatment, and it's all about unconditional love... or like. It was the first thing I purchased with my very first SGC paycheck." Her voice lost its anger and was laced with something deeper. "He's something that I bought. I didn't steal him. I worked hard and got a pittance for my effort. I was mistrusted. Disliked. Lonely. And afraid. Afraid I'd made a horrible mistake staying. But when I looked at him, my giraffe with his big kind eyes and happy smile... I... I..." She couldn't finish and turned away from him crawling into the bed, turning her back and pulling the covers over her head.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a bit stir crazy."

Dinner arrived immediately and Daniel pulled the trays from the opening and set them on the table with his journal. "Really, I didn't mean it."

"I really don't care – because I know you really aren't sorry and I know you will do it again. Just shut up and leave me alone."

"Vala, come on. Please. I'm sorry. Dinners here. I know you're hungry."

She wouldn't look at him or speak to him. She didn't even stir.

Trying to ease the tension he came to stand beside the bed. "I don't want to eat alone. There're no beans tonight. How will we count today?"

She remained silent.

"I'll keep your dinner, for later when you feel like eating."

She never stirred. That night he crawled into the bed, lying on his back, staring into the pitch blackness that comes late each evening. In a very contrite voice he called her name, softly, "Vala." He knew she was awake. He tried again, "Honestly, I'm so sorry and actually I understand. I mean, I depend on my journals for comfort."

Finally he heard the rustle of sheets and movement assuming she turned towards him. He rolled to his side facing her though he couldn't even make out a shape. "Please forgive me. I can't stand having you mad at me. It... it's... I really care about you and I want... I want your friendship and I promise to be a better friend. 'kay?"

She placed a hand on his chest, then moved it away as quickly as it came. "Alright. Good night."

In the blind darkness he'd heard the hitch in her voice and knew she was crying. With a soft sigh he inched closer. "Do you mind if I snuggle closer?" When she didn't answer, he edged even closer until his face buried into the hair at the back of her neck. "Would it be okay if I hold you?" Daniel didn't wait for an answer and wrapped an arm over her side, resting his hand lightly on her stomach.

He felt her silent sigh, felt her relax. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the subtle scent of her shampoo, tucked his knee behind hers, whispered, "good night."

They fell asleep spooned together.

~0i0~

There was still a bit of uneasiness in the morning, so idle conversation was greatly lacking.

Vala noticed her dinner remained on the table. He must have put his back in the wall when it opened as it did after each meal. There was a crusty piece of bread in line with the four beans and she burst out laughing.

Coming up behind her Daniel placed a hand on her lower back. When she stiffened he removed it hastily.

Unfortunately there were no pockets for his hands in what Vala called their 'jammies' and he referred to as 'prison garb'. Finally he asked her, "What's funny?"

"Your calendar is more decorative this morning."

"There weren't any beans. I was disappointed."

She turned around towards him with a big smile and found herself closer than expected. She didn't back off and he returned her smile.

"Vala."

"It's alright, Daniel. I know it's been difficult..."

"No. There was no excuse. I really care about you and..."

A little tilt of her lips slowly morphed into a smile. "And we take our frustrations out on the ones we care the most about?"

Eyes on her mouth, Daniel whispered, "Yeah."

"Does this mean you'll do yoga with me?"

"Maybe later."

~0i0~

Breakfast finished quickly, they were ready. Daniel stood behind her reaching over and moved the trays very slowly into the opening while Vala all but put her face inside to study the space.

"Nothing!" She reported as it closed. "Maybe it's like Tok'ra tunnels, they appear and disappear at will."

"Oh, good one."

When she stood straight she could feel him he was so close. It took her a long moment to look over her shoulder. "Thank you, Daniel."

"You're welcome, Vala."

"What now?" She breathed the words out on a sigh, her head angled around, but she dared not turn towards him.

"Now I think I want to kiss you."

"What?"

"Now I think I want to kiss you."

"Oh?"

"Yep. I wanted to kiss you yesterday, and the day before that, and for a hundred days before that. Instead I acted like an ass. I want to kiss you now."

"Here?"

"Yep." Taking her by her shoulders he turned her to face him.

"Now?"

Without further comment he inched forward so slowly the anticipation ran through her body like a low stun zat blast, robbing her of breath. By the time his lips touched hers ever so softly, she was useless, standing there feeling weak and dizzy. It was a short lived, yet electrified moment of a kiss.

When he backed off her eyes fluttered open to lock with his. Daniel grinned as if he knew she had lost control of her senses.

His head tilted to the opposite side as his arms wound around her, pulling her closer. In torturous increments, eyes open and watching, Daniel's parted lips made contact as his eyes closed and in a flash, the softness turned to urgency, his tongue insistent, his mouth hot with want.

Vala responded enthusiastically.

The urgency was replaced with searing passion, and Vala, long denied his kiss, tossed caution to the wind and responded with abandon meeting his tongue, pressing her body into his.

The kiss was long and only broke sporadically for a breath, before it ended abruptly when Daniel pulled away.

"We should, er, stop. This isn't good. I mean, of course it was great, but, what I mean is..."

"I know. What if we're stuck here forever, we can't be, well, doing that. Stuck here."

"They'll come for us, Vala. I know they will. It's just a matter of time."

They sat, one at each end of the table, gazes locked.

"When we get home," His eyes didn't waver from hers, "I'd like for us to, well, to explore this further. This us." Daniel watched her closely.

She looked up, her eyes full of wonder. Then, suddenly shifting from wonder to something he'd only seen once before - after several months living with Sha're.

Sha're had looked at him that way and he had known at that instant that she truly loved him. And he knew he truly loved her. It was that night they first made love. It was at that time that he truly felt married to her.

Vala looked at him that way, now.

Unable to stop himself Daniel stood, took her hand and pulling her up. His hands cupped her face and his mouth took a slow decent towards hers.

"We shouldn't do this," He said against her lips as the kiss blossomed, full of yearning, grappling for just the right angle before the inferno of passion sealed their lips, mouths joined in a perfect dance, tongues teasing, exploring. Bodies seemingly melting into one.

Unbuttoning one button of her loose top he ran a hand across her collarbone before stopping himself. Hands cupping her shoulders he set her back. "I really want to make love to you."

"But?"

"But, even if I had my pack... I don't carry condoms, and though we're constantly certified as healthy there's... well..."

Vala grinned, held up a finger. "Wait." She dashed to the alcove and riffled around in her container, grabbed something and ran back. "Voila! My birth control pills Carolyn insists I take! A month's supply!"

Grinning Daniel pulled her in for a hug. "That works."

"For a month, well, actually, ten more days."

"Gods forbid we're here that long."

She pulled away. "Hmm, if we are, we'd have to stop."

"Oh, right. Not good."

Vala frowned. "So we shouldn't start. Right?"

"Right." He answered as if he wasn't really sure. "We'll wait till we get back."

"I've waited this long, Daniel, I suppose I can wait a while longer. But... no more kissing. I obviously have a very low resistance to you. Your kisses make me all weak and dizzy."

"I know. Believe me, I know."

With a big sigh, Vala nodded, looking down at her feet. "Well. Alright. I just want you to know, Daniel, that I.. I'm... I... I'm..."

"What? You're what?"

Head still down, she shuffled her feet. "I. Am. Ah. In. Well. I really, really, really, er, like you a lot." Her head snapped up and she spoke rapidly. "But, you don't have to like me that much, I mean if you don't want to."

"Too late." He said, grinning. "Way too late." Giving her a quick kiss on the nose he left her standing there and returned to his seat at the table. "We'll just hold onto that. Okay?"

Plopping down in her chair she sighed heavily. "Yes. I can do that." Elbow on the table and chin in hand she stared bewildered by his confession. "I can wait. Really. I know I can. Just don't do that thing you do."

"Thing I do?"

"That thing you do. The way you look at me. And then take your time honing in for a kiss. Then sucking all the resistance out of me with your magic mouth."

"Magic mouth?" He laughed out loud.

"Yes. And hands. Magic hands. No touching."

With a deep sigh he agreed. "Okay. No kissing. No touching. No magic."

"Yoga?"

"I'm going to fill my mind with something from my journal. Right now I don't need an empty mind."

~0i0~

After dinner Daniel opened his journal and began to write while Vala decided to shower. Writing proved to be extremely difficult as his mind conjured up the long repressed memory of Vala naked on the brig floor of Prometheus as he attempted to get her into a flight suit.

Closing his eyes, Daniel squeezed them tight, clinching his jaw to stop the memory.

"Daniel?"

"Oh my God," Daniel murmured in the faintest of breaths. She'd used that sultry, whiskey infused, honey dripping voice. He clearing his throat and responded as best he could, "Huh?"

"Could you hand me my shampoo? I left it on the bed."

"Not in a million, million years," He said under his breath before telling her, "Sure."

Without looking in the direction of the shower, Daniel grabbed the shampoo. "Here ya go." His arm stretch out and then curved over the top of the partition.

"I can't reach it up there, darling, unless…." Suddenly she appeared bare shoulders, neck, face and satin black hair dripping wet, glistening right before his eyes. "Thank you," She surprised him again by springing up on her tip toes and leaning forward. Her slick wet mouth smacked his dry wanting lips and then she sunk back out of sight.

Daniel, head down, shuffled back to the table, once again mumbling incoherently. "No kissing, she said no kissing."

"What was that, darling?"

"Nothing."

~0i0~

Even though Daniel had his eyes on a page of his journal and his pencil poised to write, his mind wandered elsewhere.

She approached. He knew it though his attention pretended to be on his 'work'. The sensuous aroma of the shampoo that she also used as a body wash, which he knew to be a concoction of ylang-ylang and patchouli, swirled around him in invitation. When she leaned over his shoulder Daniel shivered in response.

"Now what are you scribbling in your journal? It looks like diddles, or doodles or some child's play." Vala moved away slowly crossing in front of him.

"Not doodles." He advised her emphatically all the while his gaze flicked from the journal to his cellmate, who, he admitted to himself, was the only elsewhere he wanted to focus on. When she moved out of his line of slightly blurred sight he refused to turn to see what she was doing.

His hand rose as if to adjust his phantom glasses then rubbed his strained eyes instead. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vala cross in front of him again, pillow in hand. Intrigued, he lifted his head and gave up trying to ignore her.

First, Vala placed the pillow on the floor against the wall, then she settled her six on it gracefully adjusting and turning until she got both legs up on the wall - all done like a dance of choreographed moves. She closed her eyes, sighed and remained very still. There she stayed relaxed for quite some time.

Daniel admitted there existed not an ounce of the ability to pretend to write or read - he was much too engrossed in her. The more she relaxed, the more tension he felt, even spilling out a whispered, "Where the hell are Mitchell and Teal'c?"

Jaw clenched Daniel stared at the lovely, softly blurred woman he had come to care for and wondered what his life was going to be like from now on. They were meant to be together. No denying that.

When Vala rolled over and pushed herself up, Daniel quickly turned to stare at the pages before him, though he kept her in his peripheral vision.

"Daniel? I'm dying here." Her hands were placed forcefully on her hips.

"Shh, I'm trying to read."

It got so quiet that Daniel raised his head to find Vala folded over with her palms on the floor and her bum high.

"What's the giraffe's name?" He sputtered, throat tight.

"He doesn't have one." She stretched upwards, hands together and reached high over her head, shirt riding up and taut across her breasts. She came forward again, then downward and settled into a pose.

He swallowed, cleared his throat. "What are you doing? I mean what's the name of that pose?"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, never mind. Just please stop."

She moved down to all fours. "Why?" Her back arched high.

"Because, it's turning me on."

"Don't watch."

"Right."

~0i0~

"I'm sooooo bored." sitting across from Daniel Vala had her forehead on the table.

He didn't look up. "Really? I couldn't have guessed."

"Don't be a John!" Vala popped up, blowing the hair out of her face.

"Dick?"

"Oh. Well. Whoever. I'm hungry."

"No you're not, you're bored."

"I'm bored and hungry, Daniel."

"You mentioned mere minutes ago that you were full."

"I was. But now I'm not. Whatever those mysterious substances in different configurations delivered day after day are, they don't stick to you."

He finally raised his eyes and smiled. "Wasn't it also you who days ago insisted it wasn't so bad here?"

"Shut up," She teased, grinning. "It's getting dark. Time for bed. Something not so boring. Aren't you listening? It's getting dark."

"I know."

"I'm going to bed."

"Okay."

Vala narrowed her eyes and stared at him but he didn't seem concerned. "Aren't you going to bed, now, before it gets darker than dark?"

"Nope."

"How will you find your way to the bed?"

"Vala."

"Oh, Alright! Fine. You'll be sorry."

"Goodnight."

~0i0~

"Ow! Shit! Vala?"

"Whaa...?

"I can't find the bed. Where are you?"

"I told you so."

Daniel followed that sleepy, sexy voice coming through the wall of blackness. "Ow, oh, okay, found it." Carefully he sat on the side of the bed before slipping under the covers. Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

After a short while he turned on his side towards where he assumed Vala would be, and with much stealth he reached out a hand to feel for her exact location.

"Stop waking me up!" She turned over, facing away from him.

"I only wanted to see where you are." Daniel scooted closer.

"Daniel, move!"

"Closer?" He asked, teasingly.

"Of course not!" Vala kicked a foot out in his direction.

Voice deep and whispered he questioned her, "Why?"

With an annoyed sigh she told him in a tone that was meant to add reason to her explanation, "No touching! We agreed."

He blew out a disgruntled breath. "I'm not touching!"

"Your body heat is touching me and it's... it's... switching me on!"

Daniel found it difficult to stifle laughter. "Switching you on, eh?"

"Yes, and... what was that?"

"What was what?"

"That noise, that swishy wall opening noise?"

Daniel sat up. "The lights coming through." He jumped up rushing towards it.

Vala, tangled in the covers, was slower.

"It's one of our radios!" grabbing the radio he thumbed it but only got static.

"Daniel it's closing." Vale turned and dashed for the bed leaping into it. Hurry."

"This is crazy." Daniel sprinted for the bed arriving as the room plunged into complete darkness. He landed on top of Vala who laughed and pushed him off.

Sitting up, Daniel muttered a succinct "Damn."

"What's wrong?" Vala's hand felt around landing just to the inside of his upper thigh.

He almost dropped the radio. "Vala!"

"Oops. Sorry."

His only response was to laugh.

She sat up removing her hand slowly. "Does it work?"

Incredulous, he blurted out, "What?"

Her laughter escalated and she barely got the words out. "The radio, silly. For goodness sakes, Daniel, the radio."

"Oh. Nothing yet."

She rose up on her knees behind him. "But it's a good sign, right"

The radio beeped startling both of them. "Jackson?" Mitchell's voice came through the static.

"Mitchell!" Vala yelled, delighted.

"Listen guys stay cool, everything's fine. There'll be an opening in the morning that will take you through some kind of tunnel and right to the Stargate. Dial the Delta Gate. Don't stop, just go! No more time to chat, I'll explain everything when you get there. We'll be there waiting for you. Don't forget, dial the Delta Gate. Get some sleep, Mitchell out."

"What? Wait! Mitchell? Shit, the Delta Gate." Exasperated, Daniel tossed the radio over his shoulder onto the bed.

Vala, still on her knees leaned into his back and wound her arms around him. "What's your issue with the Delta Gate, darling?"

"It's a high end medical facility."

"I know that, so? I mean we've been gone a while."

"Have we ever been gone a while and routed through the Delta base?"

"Oh. No. This can't be good."

"It's serious, Vala, deadly serious if they're sending us to the Delta base."

She squeezed him with a tight hug. "Like we caught something… deadly?"

"Yeah." He didn't know what else to say.

"Oh." She whispered, sadly. Then she added, trying to sound upbeat. "I think today is Valentine's Day. I mean, I'm pretty sure it is." Her face rested against his arm.

"Really?" Even though he couldn't see her, Daniel turned his face looking over his shoulder in her direction.

"Um hmm. If your bean and bread count is right."

"Vala?" His voice was low, deep.

She pulled back. "Um hmm?"

"Happy Valentine's" Daniel managed to spin fully around, toss her back on the bed and pull her shirt off in one smooth move. "I'm not wasting any more time."

Honing in on her delighted laughter his mouth missed the mark and landed on her cheek. To compensate his hand snaked up her ribs to tease a breast. "I wish I could see you." He whispered.

Vala turned her face and latched onto his searching lips as she arched into his touch.

When his mouth left hers she uttered a complaining groan but stopped when he started a trail of kisses down her throat. Realizing her new advantage she grabbed hands full of his shirt and expertly and rather quickly shucked him out of it.

She didn't have time to relish in victory because Daniel with much more expertise and faster than she could ever have anticipated got them both out of their pants.

Then, unexpectedly, they both became still and very quiet.

Their breathing synchronized, hearts seemed to thrum as one.

Her voice, so deep with want and feeling, cut through the hushed, motionless ink blackness. "Though I can't see you with my eyes, darling, I see you in my heart and soul, where, no matter what, you will always be."

Daniel's strong hands took over, sliding under her and lifting her to him.

~0i0~

What woke them from exhausted sleep was the sound of the wall opening. Daniel turned, reluctant to let go of Vala to exam the new arrival. Untangling from her he pulled the sheet from the floor and wrapped it around his waist and padded bare feet to the wall.

"What is it? The tunnel already? I want more time. I need some morning after sex."

He laughed, pulling the items out. "It's everything. Uniforms, packs, weapons. Everything. My glasses! Thank goodness. So no morning after sex - this morning anyway. We should dress and get..." he stopped mid sentence when he turned back and saw her sitting up, gloriously naked, hair a riot of raven curls against the white wall backdrop, her alabaster skin tinted with a rosy flush. Her lips red and swollen from his kisses, and grinning. Her eyes predatory. One dark brow raised as if to emphatically contradict his refusal.

"Right." Daniel dropped the items and then the sheet from around his waist and returned to her.

An hour later she had a grip on his wrist as she attempted to physically drag him from the bed. "Come on Daniel! We need to get dressed. Fast. That tunnel isn't going to stay open all day!" Tugging harder she managed to pull him off the bed.

He landed with a thump on the floor. "Okay. I think I can walk. Not sure. Not sure I can even get dressed."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now. Get up. I mean, off the floor. Not the other up which obviously isn't an issue for you. So, now, or I'm leaving you."

Like a viper striking, he reached and gripped her ankle. Eyes closed he perfected a cartoonish Russian spy voice. "You will never leave me. I will chain you to me and you will never, never leave me."

Shaking his hand off Vala knelt and leaned over him her face upside down from his, and she kissed him. "That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Pushing himself up he groaned. "I meant it." Gathering his clothes, Daniel began to dress.

"Well, we'll see about the chain. But right now we're going home! Eventually. And, I have to say, darling, that we couldn't possibly have caught some deathly, deadly, yucky thingie, because I feel wonderful and after all that we have done, incessantly, for hours and in every manner known to me, and some I didn't know, well, we couldn't possibly have caught anything because if that didn't kill us, well nothing could." She grinned. "And, darling, you have your tee shirt on backwards."

~0i0~

Seconds after hitting the ramp in the Delta base, Daniel glared at Mitchell through the control room window. "What the hell?"

Mitchell leaned towards the mic, "Long story, Jackson."

"Start story telling!"

Jerking a thumb towards the Gateroom entrance, Mitchell answered, "Med Team first."

Holding out a hand towards a team of techs in full hazmat, Daniel objected loudly, "Oh I don't think so, Mitchell."

"Yep, so." Mitchell nodded to the tech team and they took hold of Daniel, who reached back and grabbed Vala's hand to tug her along.

Vala grinned back at Mitchell. "Miss me?"

"Yep, sure did. Glad you're both okay."

As she disappeared out the door, she called back, "Can't wait to hear how you got us back with a diplomatic rescue."

"No rescue." Mitchell said to the empty room.

~0i0~

"First, let me assure you that you're both fine." Carolyn Lam was easily recognizable even shrouded in full hazmat. "This is just a precaution to insure nothing followed you back."

"So we're fine? How do you know that?"

"Because we have blood samples."

Confused, Daniel started to responded but the doctor held up a finger to waylay his questions. Someone took their gear, and Carolyn pointed them across the room. "You know the drill, hit the shower."

"Together?" Vala grinned. "This is better than I expected. And you there," she pointed to the tech with her pack, "Be careful with my giraffe, take good care of him."

"Yes, ma'am, Mz Mal Doran. I will. I'll clean him gently."

Laughing, Daniel took Vala's hand and headed for the shower looking back at Carolyn and waggling his brows.

The protective head gear she wore did nothing to hide Carolyn's surprise.

~0i0~

When Daniel and Vala entered the infirmary room they saw that Cam, Teal'c and Sam were watching from the observation room above.

Daniel, a bit peeved to have been put off without explanation for so long, didn't utter a word and sat on one of the two infirmary beds. Vala waved to her team and took a seat on the bed across from Daniel.

Almost immediately, Carolyn entered, sans hazmat and smiling happily. "All is well. I can release you now and we can go home."

"Okay," Daniel said, barely able to contain his growing ire, "so _now_, can someone please tell us what the hell is going... was going on?"

Mitchell, Sam and Teal'c entered at that point and Mitchell started rattling, "Plague. Pestilence. Plague."

Vala's head snapped around towards Mitchell. "Plague? As in Prior Plague?"

"As in good old fashion, medieval Black Death, personified."

"The Black Death was 1347 to 1350. Medieval times were historically 300 to 1300."

"Close enough, Jackson. The MALP Didn't detect it. The Molivians, folks on PK2-232, where you were, are the surviving descendents of their planet wide little pestilence. They are all carriers. They hide out. They have no knowledge of their Gate and apparently only off and on even guard it because an occasional visitor pops in and is subject to the contagion. So, they have, over the last hundred or so years come up with their own little isolation, treatment center. They inoculated you two, drew blood, kept you isolated. Once the incubation period is over to their liking, they let folks go through their funky, Tok'ra like tunnels."

"That's what I called it."

"Good for you, princess. Anyway, they answered me on the radio when you went face down. From what we understand they musta used some sorta Jedi mind trick to knock you out. Took us a few hours to locate one of your minions, Jackson, who could translate for us, explained the situation. Those people are mighty skittish and wouldn't let us even speak to you until they were sure you were okay.

"Doc managed to convince them to release your blood samples. Clean as a whistle she said, but they insisted you stay for the entire period they conjured up.

"Anyway, Carter figured she'd get into the fray and offered to disable their Stargate, virtually. That's it, kids, we can go home now. I'm sure you two have been at each others throats and need a break."

"Hmph." Carolyn tried to cover her reaction with a cough.

Daniel got off the bed, crossed over to Vala's bed, and hopped up, sitting close beside her. He turned his head to face her and she turned hers to him. "I love you." He said matter of factly. "And I am ready, willing and able to... to co-happy-tate with you for forever. Or whatever timeline you deem fit."

"I deem well beyond forever, silly. I love you. Where will this co-happy-tation take place?"

Daniel grinned. "My place for sure, er, our place. Who knows what we can get away with on base."

Sam's mouth fell open but she couldn't utter a word.

Mitchell, shocked, kept mumbling, "I didn't hear that, nope, not a word." He took Sam by the arm, reached back to grab Carolyn and ushered them out. "Jackson, we're leavin', now."

Teal'c bowed, "May I be the first to congratulate you?"

Daniel turned to Teal'c. "You don't seem shocked."

"I am not."

"Muscles, we hooked up in that time that was yours and not ours didn't we? I mean me and Daniel not you and me."

"I cannot say."

"But if you could say what would you say?"

Teal'c gave her a smile and a quick nod, then nodded to Daniel. "Let us go home, shall we? You have a long and happy life ahead of you."

And they co-happy-tated ever after~END~Happy Valentine's Day


End file.
